My cat has been constipated for the last few weeks. Usually he gets constipated once a year, he takes a car ride to the vet and goes in the car. He gets blood work and its all fine. He goes home and all is good. Not this time though.
It started on a Sunday or Monday. Thursday evening I decided I would call the vet in the morning, which when I did I realized he hadn't urinated in 24 hours. So the vet of course was much more concerned about that then the fact that he hadn't had a bowel movement. On the way to the vet, he went in the car so the vet really didn't address his constipation much. Long story short, he urinated on the vet so since the constipation had happened first, she said it was likely the constipation that caused him not to urinate. He went home with a sedative and a pain killer for the weekend. The vet told me I could give him a quarter teaspoon of miralax every day in his wet food to help prevent future constipation, which I started him on.
By that Sunday he hadn't gone again and I was worried about him stopping urinating if it went too long. I had read on petmd that cats could have 1-4 teaspoons of miralax so out of panic I gave him 1 teaspoon and a can of tuna in oil, which was a suggestion by someone. He went Monday morning.
Early Wednesday morning he started scratching around in the litter box trying to go, but he couldn't. So I repeated the 1 teaspoon of Miralax and tuna in oil. I called the vet and she told me to increase the miralax to twice a day and that I could syringe it in with water if neccessary. I forgot to tell her I gave him 1 teaspoon that day. He went that night. I also put out two more bowls of water so that he would hopefully drink more.
Now we get to Saturday (yesterday) and he hasn't gone again. He wasn't going to the litter box to try at all, that I know of. One person told me it takes miralax awhile to get in the system. Another told me it will take awhile for his bowel movements to adjust. I am just panicking because I don't want him to stop urinating. So I gave him tuna in oil again. I forgot to give him any miralax. By early evening he still hadn't gone, so, like the vet suggested I gave him miralax via one of those syringes they use to squirt stuff in their mouth. Because there was some residue in the cup I mixed and because he spit some out, I am not sure how much of a dose he got. A few hours later he went.
So at this point I don't know if its the tuna in oil or an increased dose of miralax that's helping him go. I don't know if I should call the vet tomorrow or wait a few more days. Anything I do is going to be delayed because I am on a fixed income and have no money left for the month. So I have to call a cat rescue that helps pay the bills and you pay them back to see if they will help first. I don't know if I am overreacting and his bowel movements will adjust back to normal over time or if they should be back to normal by now. I have anxiety and it gets bad when my cat's health is involved so I worry so much I don't know when I am just overreacting.
Some other notes: I tried olive oil in his food he wouldn't touch it. A few years back the very first time he got constipated I gave him pumpkin in his food and he choked, so I am afraid to ever try that again. I don't drive myself, so I haven't taken him for another car ride, which the vet one year suggested I do when he gets backed up. Also, my cat is diabetic, he likely was when I rescued him, so the vet tech told me not to mess with his diet because they don't want his caloric intake to change.
It started on a Sunday or Monday. Thursday evening I decided I would call the vet in the morning, which when I did I realized he hadn't urinated in 24 hours. So the vet of course was much more concerned about that then the fact that he hadn't had a bowel movement. On the way to the vet, he went in the car so the vet really didn't address his constipation much. Long story short, he urinated on the vet so since the constipation had happened first, she said it was likely the constipation that caused him not to urinate. He went home with a sedative and a pain killer for the weekend. The vet told me I could give him a quarter teaspoon of miralax every day in his wet food to help prevent future constipation, which I started him on.
By that Sunday he hadn't gone again and I was worried about him stopping urinating if it went too long. I had read on petmd that cats could have 1-4 teaspoons of miralax so out of panic I gave him 1 teaspoon and a can of tuna in oil, which was a suggestion by someone. He went Monday morning.
Early Wednesday morning he started scratching around in the litter box trying to go, but he couldn't. So I repeated the 1 teaspoon of Miralax and tuna in oil. I called the vet and she told me to increase the miralax to twice a day and that I could syringe it in with water if neccessary. I forgot to tell her I gave him 1 teaspoon that day. He went that night. I also put out two more bowls of water so that he would hopefully drink more.
Now we get to Saturday (yesterday) and he hasn't gone again. He wasn't going to the litter box to try at all, that I know of. One person told me it takes miralax awhile to get in the system. Another told me it will take awhile for his bowel movements to adjust. I am just panicking because I don't want him to stop urinating. So I gave him tuna in oil again. I forgot to give him any miralax. By early evening he still hadn't gone, so, like the vet suggested I gave him miralax via one of those syringes they use to squirt stuff in their mouth. Because there was some residue in the cup I mixed and because he spit some out, I am not sure how much of a dose he got. A few hours later he went.
So at this point I don't know if its the tuna in oil or an increased dose of miralax that's helping him go. I don't know if I should call the vet tomorrow or wait a few more days. Anything I do is going to be delayed because I am on a fixed income and have no money left for the month. So I have to call a cat rescue that helps pay the bills and you pay them back to see if they will help first. I don't know if I am overreacting and his bowel movements will adjust back to normal over time or if they should be back to normal by now. I have anxiety and it gets bad when my cat's health is involved so I worry so much I don't know when I am just overreacting.
Some other notes: I tried olive oil in his food he wouldn't touch it. A few years back the very first time he got constipated I gave him pumpkin in his food and he choked, so I am afraid to ever try that again. I don't drive myself, so I haven't taken him for another car ride, which the vet one year suggested I do when he gets backed up. Also, my cat is diabetic, he likely was when I rescued him, so the vet tech told me not to mess with his diet because they don't want his caloric intake to change.